Bibliotheca Polyglotta

Kærlighedens komedie (Love’s Comedy)

Complete text

FRØKEN SKÆRE
(fornærmet).
Nå så, herr Guldstad! Alt fra jeg var liden
har jeg hørt tale dog med stor respekt, –
og det af folk, hvis ord har megen vægt, –
om presten Stråmand og hans livs roman.

MISS JAY
[offended].
There, Mr. Guldstad, I must break a lance!
I’ve heard as long as I can recollect,
Most worthy people speak with great respect
Of Pastor Strawman and his life’s romance.

GULDSTAD
(leende).
Roman?

GULDSTAD
[laughing].
Romance?

FRØKEN SKÆRE.
Roman. Jeg kalder sligt romantisk,
som ej af hverdagsfolk vurderes kan.

MISS JAY.
Romance! I call a match romantic
At which mere worldly wisdom looks askance.

FALK.
De spænder min nysgærrighed gigantisk.

FALK.
You make my curiosity gigantic.

FRØKEN SKÆRE
(vedblivende).
Men Gudbevars, der gives altid visse,
som af det rørende sig lader hidse
til railleri! Det er jo velbekendt,
at her var en, som bare var student,
der var så fræk, så ryggesløs, så ussel,
at kritisere selve „William Russell“.

MISS JAY
[continuing].
But certain people always grow splenetic--
Why, goodness knows--at everything pathetic,
And scoff it down. We all know how, of late,
An unfledged, upstart undergraduate
Presumed, with brazen insolence, to declare
That “William Russell”¹ was a poor affair!

FALK.
Men sig, er oplandspresten da et digt,
et kristent drama eller noget sligt?

FALK.
But what has this to do with Strawman, pray?
Is he a poem, or a Christian play?

FRØKEN SKÆRE
(rørt til stille tårer).
Nej Falk, – et menneske, på hjerte rigt.
Men når en så at sige livløs ting
kan forårsage slige ondskabssting
og vække fæle lidenskabers mængde
af slig en dybde –

MISS JAY
[with tears of emotion].
No, Falk,--a man, with heart as large as day.
But when a--so to speak--mere lifeless thing
Can put such venom into envy’s sting,
And stir up evil passions fierce and fell
Of such a depth--

FALK
(deltagende).
Og af slig en længde –

FALK
[sympathetically].
And such a length as well--

FRØKEN SKÆRE.
Så vil, med Deres skarpe blik, De snart
begribe at –

MISS JAY.
Why then, a man of your commanding brain
Can’t fail to see--

FALK.
Ja, det er ganske klart.
Men hvad der hidtil er mig mindre tydeligt,
det er romanens indhold og dens art.
Jeg kan nok ane, det er noget nydeligt;
men hvis det lod sig sige i en fart –

FALK.
Oh, yes, that’s very plain.
But hitherto I haven’t quite made out
The nature, style, and plot of this romance.
It’s something quite delightful I’ve no doubt--
But just a little inkling in advance--

1. “William Russel.” An original historic tragedy, found upon the career of the ill-fated Lord William Russell, by Andreas Munch, cousin of the historian P. A. Munch. It was produced at Christiania in 1857, the year of Ibsen’s return from Bergen, and reviewed by him in the Illusteret Nyhedsblad for that year, Nos. 61 and 52. Professor Johan Storm of Christiania, to whose kindness I owe these particulars, adds that "it is rather a fine play and created a certain sensation in its time; but Munch is forgotten."

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